Her Majesty, the Princess
by tweetfeet
Summary: Jesse McCree is tasked with finding the young Princess Fareeha Amari, who was captured after stowing away with the Crusader platoon. Along the way, he meets a man who may forever change his way of life.


Our story begins in the kingdom of Aldersbrunn, where peace reigns supreme. The king, one Reinhardt Wilhelm the Wise, was an older man who often went on adventurous journeys, bringing back stories for the children and treasures from all around the continent. He was a very goofy man, according to most; he moved about as he spoke, and was very physically expressive when he spoke. His daughter, and the princess of Aldersbrunn, Fareeha Amari, was quite adventurous herself; she often tried to stow away with the Crusaders when they went on missions for the king. On one such occasion, she managed to successfully stow away with the soldiers, and was captured.

This is where we find our hero, one Jesse McCree. He is tanned and built, with long, dark hair tied up with a thick string. He carries a crossbow, lovingly named Peacekeeper, on his hip. He He stands before the king, on his mighty throne, and bows deeply. He maintains his composure as best he can; this is the king, in the flesh. How can he not be nervous?

"At ease, McCree." Jesse relaxes, but continues to keep his guard up. "I have a task for you, that I cannot send any of my own soldiers for. You see, my daughter, Fareeha Amari, princess of Aldersbrunn, has been captured. I know not where she is being held, but I do know where she last was. I cannot send any of my soldiers in to rescue her; they will be too easily noticed. Therefore, if you are up for the task, I would like for you to find out where exactly she is, and bring her to me. I will give you a handsome reward in return," the king practically begs him, face contorting into an expression of fear and worry.

"Don't worry about a thing, your majesty. She will be safe and sound in Aldersbrunn before you can blink." A sigh of relief escapes the king's lungs, and he practically shouts with joy.

"Thank you, McCree. Your good deed to this kingdom shall not go unrecognized!" The king yells with the force of one thousand horns, nearly shattering Jesse's eardrums. He stands clear of the king's jubilant dancing, and ponders why on Earth the king was so ungodly happy that he had accepted the mission. It made him nervous; had others said no? If so, why did they refuse, especially if it was the king asking? Even when he was loaded?

"I shall provide you with whatever you wish, McCree, for your journey. You are the first to accept this mission, of all the people I have asked, and I wish to provide you with the best equipment, should you get into a fight and need to defend yourself." Ah, so people _had_ refused the mission. This put him on edge.

"Thank you, your majesty, but I won't be needing much, just a horse. I have everything I need right here," he says as he pats his satchel reassuringly. "Never leave home without this little ol' bag of mine."

"Are you absolutely certain? I wouldn't want your equipment to fail you."

That statement, quite frankly, pissed Jesse off. His trusty Peacekeeper crossbow had served him well for nearly a decade; how dare even the king imply that it could "fail" him?

"Yes, I'm certain. My crossbow has been with me for nearly a decade and hasn't failed me yet, and I do not anticipate it failing me any time soon. The offer is very much appreciated, your majesty," Jesse claims with a bow. He put aside the anger he felt at his Peacekeeper being insulted. He would brood on that later, when he was finished. Right now, he had a job to do.

"My daughter was last seen in the kingdom neighbouring this one, in Gibraltar. She looks just like her mother, god rest her soul. Dark complexion, even darker hair, cut to about her shoulders, and she has eyes just as dark and beautiful as her mother's." The king's expression saddened at the mention of the queen. She had gone missing several years prior, presumed dead. Even the knights of the court had lost hope of ever finding her.

"Do not worry. I'll find your daughter, you have my word."

Jesse saw… something, twinkling in the king's eyes. He couldn't quite tell if it was hope, or tears.

His horse was fetched and he was off. The horse would not gallop for long, so he settled for a moderate trot, through the heavy forest that lie between Gibraltar and Aldersbrunn. The forest was quiet, save for the occasional chatter of woodland animals. Jesse could not stand the quiet; he felt as if he were in total isolation, and it was driving him nuts. He was able to hear himself think _too_ well. After nearly three hours of what was, to him, extreme torture, he decided to stop to give the horse some time to rest. He built himself a small fire, and sat against the trunk of a tree while the horse ate and drank. As he got ready to get on with his journey (he had quite a long time before night fell), he heard noises. He drew his crossbow, aiming it at the brush around him. The noises began to draw closer. His heart began to pound inside his chest.

Whatever it was sounded a lot bigger than a woodland animal.

The horse neighed and began to rear. Jesse whipped his head towards the horse, now up on its hind legs and kicking furiously, and prepared to fire a bolt at the assailant. The man swiped his knife at the horse, attempting to strike it. Jesse fired a bolt at the man's arm, attempting to disable him. It didn't quite work as well as he intended it to; it certainly got him to stop attacking the horse, but now the stranger's attention was focused on him, which was much less ideal.

The man stared at him with a haunting gaze, and, without breaking eye contact, ripped the bolt from his arm. The man lunged at him, yelling a string of what Jesse assumed were curse words, knife in hand. In no time flat, the man was on top of him and very, very stabby. Jesse kicked his leg, hoping it would connect with something. It startled the man for a split second, which was enough time for him to get the knife out and away. He put the man under him, and began to wail on the stranger's face. Hit after hit connected, drawing blood each time. When he was sure the man was unconscious, he got up, keeping a boot on the bastard's chest, and dusted himself off. He went to his belongings, thanking every deity that might have existed, and retrieved some rope. He tied the man to the tree trunk that _was_ his resting place. As he finished the last knot, he wondered if he should loot him while he was still out. He decided against the idea, and instead began to wonder whether or not he would let the man even live. He took a long look at this man; he was pale and appeared very athletic, and neatly groomed too. His greying beard was neatly and meticulously trimmed, and his dark hair looked very well taken care of, all shiny and tied up in a yellow ribbon. He wore robes, and strange boots that looked almost like bird's legs. They looked like they were attached directly to his legs just below the knees. The man also had a container, that when Jesse opened up, was revealed to be alcohol, and a strong type at that. He made a mental note to find out what that was at some point, if he didn't kill the man. Overall, this man appeared to be pretty well off.

So what was he doing trying to murder a man and his horse?


End file.
